Ahn Cheol-soo, former co-chairman of the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD), quit the party Sunday after his last-ditch plea to hold a national convention for new leadership was rejected. He apologized to the nation for failing to bring changes and innovation to the largest opposition party.
“I reached the conclusion that changes and reform are impossible from inside the party,’’ the software mogul-turned-politician told a press conference, vowing to organize a political force that could achieve a change of government.
Ahn did not answer a question asking his specific plan to form a new political party, but political watchers expect that tens of lawmakers could abandon the liberal party to join him. Lawmakers representing the southwestern Gwangju and Jeolla provinces, in particular, are expected to follow suit. This means the main opposition party would be split with only four months remaining before the April 13 parliamentary elections.
Ahn entered politics in 2012 before that year’s presidential election, claiming to advocate “new politics.’’ In March 2014, he co-founded the NPAD with Kim Han-gill and Moon Jae-in, the current main opposition leader, by merging the main opposition Democratic Party and his supporters. Ahn and Kim co-chaired the NPAD until the party’s crushing defeat in July 2014, and Ahn eventually left the party Sunday.
Ahn’s defection came after his negotiations with Moon over a leadership change fell through. In the run-up to the defection, both voiced innovation in word, but in the eyes of the public, they were seen to be engaging in a power struggle over party nomination ahead of the elections. No wonder this is an issue with which people would feel fed up.
Ahn’s high-profile defection could deal a fatal blow to the opposition bloc as a whole in the upcoming elections. Moon has reiterated his resolve to prevent the ruling Saenuri Party from winning a majority, but few believe he could keep his promise amid a major split in the opposition. Moon in this regard deserves criticism for failing to block Ahn’s secession because of what appears to be his obsession with party hegemony. Moon should have acted resolutely if he had wanted his party not to lose the crucial elections at least.
With the opposition in a total mess, some pundits raise the possibility that the governing party might score a landslide victory, which is big enough to push for a constitutional revision. This would be a dismal scenario for voters longing for a stronger opposition that can hold the ruling elites in check. One cannot but feel disappointed with endless internal bickering in the opposition block.
It is feared the NPAD split will cripple the legislative function of the National Assembly further, when bills on labor reform, anti-terrorism and other numerous agendas remain stuck in the legislature. So the opposition party should hurry to settle the chaos triggered by Ahn’s defection. This might be the least it can do to appease negative public sentiment about the opposition.